


Follow Me

by elusivelover_archivist



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, Friends to Lovers, M/M, The Force, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2000-06-01
Updated: 2000-06-01
Packaged: 2019-09-23 01:28:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17070878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elusivelover_archivist/pseuds/elusivelover_archivist
Summary: By Z.P. FlorianThe Emperor is dead... but he's reaching for Luke from beyond the grave.





	Follow Me

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Cara Loup, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Elusive Lover](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Elusive_Lover_\(Star_Wars_archive\)) and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2018. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Elusive Lover’s collection profile](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/ElusiveLover).

The nights had been long for him lately. Too long. Too dark. He’d feared that the darkness surrounding him would harm those he loved. He had to leave them. Dagobah seemed to be the safest place, and he couldn’t think where else to go. Here he was alone; what haunted him came with him, but at least there was no one else to feel the taint. He’d sit outside the small hut, listening to the noises of the forest, the whispers of leathery wings among the twisted trees. He wondered if he’d made the right decision to come here, to cut himself off from everybody. Yet there was no other choice, for he couldn’t stay among those who hadn’t seen who he was. Not Han, not Leia, not anyone else, all those who expected him to be a young Jedi, cheerful and ready to fight, ready to work for a new world. He was not that person. Not anymore. Where he’d seen bright light before, now nothing but darkness existed. Empty darkness. Around him, inside him.

What was this abject misery, this useless, helpless whimpering mood that reduced him to nothing, that ate away his hopes, his plans, his appetite for life, his determination to work, his belief that he could make a difference? Time passed with nothing but feeling abandoned, alone, not even pitying himself, like he had at other times when he’d yearned for Han. He wasn’t happy with that, but now even that stage of self-pity would have been an improvement...

 _I have to snap out of this_ , he repeated over and over, aware that he wouldn’t, he couldn’t. During the past three weeks, since his arrival on Dagobah, he’d had to force himself to wash, to shave, to eat. Now, in the darkest corners of his soul, he knew there’d come a day when he wouldn’t be able to make himself do that anymore.

_Now, young Skywalker, you will die._

It had been an order. Absorbed on the Death Star, when the Emperor’s white lightning tore into his body, even though that attack hadn’t killed him. He’d dragged Vader’s body with him, hoping that his father wasn’t beyond help. Yet Vader had died, his essence absent from the Force, as much as the Emperor’s presence was gone. But had the order to die ever been revoked?

 _No_ , he thought, shivering as he sat there, on a gnarled root near the swamp where his X-wing had sunk so long ago, reliving the meeting with the Emperor over and over...

 _Your puerile skills are no match for the Dark Side_ , the Emperor declared.

 _I survived_ , Luke told himself a million times. _We’ve won_.

 _There is no ‘we’_ , another part of himself countered. _I survived because my father saved me, he won this battle for me. He gave me what I demanded and paid for it with his life. The child cried out in pain, and his father heard it. He gave me life, he gave me victory. I’ve accomplished nothing; my skills were indeed no match for the Dark Side. And now, with the will of the Emperor still burning inside me, I can’t find the strength to live._

 _What do I have, to live for?_ he asked. _Leia? She belongs to Han. I never thought of her as a sister, hell, I wanted to marry her. What can I possibly do, stand behind them, hang around them, have an occasional meal with them? Play uncle to their children? I’ve lived long enough, I survived the Death Star attack, I survived Bespin, I survived another Death Star, even though I was sure I’d die there. And that’s what should have happened. It’s what heroes are supposed to do; die, go out in a blaze of glory, sacrifice themselves for the greater good. At best, I’m going to be a living embarrassment. Vader’s son – how can the Alliance deal with that? Who’s going to trust me?_

 _I’ve already lived weeks beyond my time. How much easier it would be for Leia and Han if they could just grieve for me. Much easier than trying to deal with the fact that I’m Vader’s son. And that she’s Vader’s daughter. Will she ever tell Han? She shouldn’t. Yes, I told her what he wanted her to know, that I was right about him, but she never said she’d share it with Han. And why should she? What does Han have to do with it? What does she have to do with it? She never felt the small spark of Anakin’s soul within the black monster_.

* * *

The Alliance still maintained headquarters on Endor. Most of them felt that moving to Coruscant would create the impression they were about to establish another Empire. Negotiations with the countless liberated star systems would come first, to determine a way of setting up a new senate. This was wonderful work, but Leia couldn’t concentrate on it.

Sitting at her desk in her cabin, she thought of Han. Their rare kisses had made her think that they were on the verge of a serious involvement. When she’d told Han that she loved him, he’d answered, _I know_. At the time, she’d believed it meant that he loved her too. And not too long ago, Han had even offered not to get in the way when Luke returned. She’d told him then that Luke was her brother, and Han had seemed relieved to hear that.

But now, in the aftermath of their victory, Han could have spent all his time with her. Instead, he avoided her, and when she actually managed to get hold of him, he appeared tired and restless.

Leia would have felt lonely if Lando hadn’t been there to keep her company. The Baron was showering her with the kind of attention she’d never received from Han. She wondered if the time had come to talk to Han and clear up any kind of misconception between them. Forcing herself to remember each instance when she’d thought Han loved her, Leia recalled far more. The memories were colored with Luke’s presence and the silent love in his eyes, a suppressed yearning for Han. One had to be blind not to see it.

 _Han never reacted to that_ , Leia thought. _I have to talk to him now_ , she decided. Maybe he was blind.

She went out to find him, and for once he wasn’t very difficult to locate. Han was outside, talking with a couple of pilots. He looked tired and worn.

“Han, when you have some time, we need to talk,” she said.

“No better time than the present,” he answered, following her inside.

She led him into her cabin where he sat down, or rather collapsed into a chair.

“Han, listen. It might be only my imagination, but I don’t think what I feel for you is mutual. I think we should get this straight.” She was calm as always.

“You might be right here,” Han agreed with blunt honesty. “I don’t really know what to think. I’m not myself these days. I’m... confused. I can tell that something’s wrong.” His eyes were troubled.

“What do you think is wrong?”

“Everything,” he said softly. “It’s not so much that something’s wrong... more that something’s not right.”

“With me or with you?”

He frowned, concentrating, and gasped as the vague sensations sharpened into focus. “No, with Luke. Something’s wrong with Luke. Where the hell is the kid anyway?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “He took off on his own. All he told me was that he had to travel to a Jedi place. I think it’s Dagobah.”

“I have to find him,” Han said at once.

 _Maybe that’s why I’m so restless_ , he thought, _the kid’s missing_.

He’d turned back to save the kid when they barely knew each other, and now Luke had disappeared immediately after their greatest victory, never enjoying the final defeat of the Empire with his comrades and friends. Just gone like a wisp of smoke.

Now that he thought about it, Han wondered why this hadn’t concerned him before Leia brought it up. _But maybe I was concerned, I couldn’t sleep much_...

Admittedly, he wasn’t very happy with this. He didn’t like things that unsettled him, things he couldn’t resolve rationally. _I’m not the type who’ll sit down to analyze his feelings, not before someone hits me over the head with them_.

Leia smiled at him. “Are you in love with him?”

“What?” Han’s hands formed fists. “Nonsense. I like the kid, but that’s not what you think.”

“Don’t delude yourself. I can tell what it is.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Fine,” Leia relented, “but you should go and find him. Then you can decide how you feel. Go now. I think he needs you, and maybe that’s what you’re sensing.” She paused, considering another memory. “Luke could feel that you were going to be tortured on Bespin, and perhaps his need is touching you now. Go. We could have been a good couple, Han, but if it’s not going to happen, I can live with it.”

She touched his clenched fist, and Han knew it was her farewell. He left without another word. 

 

He went straight to the Falcon and locked himself into his cabin. He needed time to sort this out. For a long while he simply stood staring at the walls. Wondering if she’d been right. Luke... Was he in love with Luke? True, he missed the kid horribly. He missed the sight of his face, the color of his eyes, the stray strands of hair falling over his eyebrows. The smile playing on the soft mouth. The smile... Han suddenly remembered that it had been ages since he’d last seen that smile.

 _What’s been going on with Luke lately?_ he wondered. _Since he came to free me from the Hutt, I’ve barely seen him smile. And when he went to Endor with us, he was even more changed, like he had the weight of the world resting on his shoulders. His eyes were haunted. Even when we were celebrating the victory, Luke was distant somehow. He smiled then, but it wasn’t a smile that revealed much._

Han tried to remember when the change had started. _Must’ve been while I was in carbon freeze. Luke’d grown up and grown quiet when we met again on Tatooine_. His vision had been blurred then, and he’d barely seen Luke fight, but he knew how many guards Luke had to dispose of. Jabba had never traveled lightly. This Luke was no longer the boy they’d known, not the impatient, naive kid from some backwater farm. What was this Jedi business anyway, that turned a cheerful kid into a man overnight? Luke had always been smart, he’d always been splendid in a fight. But not this superhuman creature, not this seemingly invincible man with shadows in his eyes.

 _How did it happen that Luke was suddenly no longer one of us? And I thought I was a loner. Not true. I had Chewie_. Well, Luke had been close to Biggs; Han remembered how happy the kid had been to meet a friend on Yavin Four. _Luke’s lost his uncle, his aunt, never had a father or a mother, lost Kenobi, lost Biggs, and who knows who else_.

 _Hell, this is a war_ , Han reasoned. _Everybody’s lost someone, Leia lost her entire world. Why does it feel like Luke’s loss was the worst of all? What happened to the kid, and when?_

Chewie banged on his door. *Come out, Hankho?*

“Yeah, I’m coming,” Han called back, his mind made up. “We’re leaving. Set course for Dagobah.”

But Dagobah wasn’t listed on any of the available star charts. Han had to run around all over the rebel base to locate the coordinates. It took nearly his whole day to retrieve the flight plans from the X-wing Luke had used at the time, and he blessed the cautious Madine who insisted on having every flight recorder’s data duplicated and stored. Among the files was the record of a trip to some nameless planet that looked just right.

* * *

When they arrived, Han was stunned by the sheer impossibility of locating anyone on that planet. The swamps were teeming with life, and the Falcon’s scanners were unable to isolate any single lifeform. He tried to scan for Luke’s X-wing, but, as all Rebel ships, the fighter wasn’t exactly friendly to sensor sweeps.

“Chewie, if he doesn’t want to be found, we could spend a year trying to find him. If I can’t find him, he’ll have to find me.”

*Come on, cub,* the Wookiee growled, *he is not aware that you are here. Even if he’s a Jedi wizard, he can’t know where he should look for you.*

“Yeah, but I can make him look.” Han grinned. “Leia said he felt my pain on Bespin, even before it happened. Now, would you mind helping me with this?” He unbuckled his belt, pulled it out and handed it to Chewie.

*You want me to whip you with this?* Chewbacca looked at him as if he’d suddenly gone insane.

“Ain’t that the easiest way to do it?” Han asked back. “Still better than breaking a leg for his Jediness. Just make sure you hit me hard enough to make it hurt, and hurt a whole lot, ‘cause I bet this Force crap won’t work unless he really believes I’m in trouble.”

*He loves you, you know that,* the Wookiee said.

“No, I don’t.” Han turned aside. “Leia thinks I love him.”

*Maybe you do, I’m not sure. But he loves you, that I know. I could smell it on him.* Chewie sighed; how impaired these humans were, without a sense of smell. They walked around blind, unable to recognize even the most basic emotions. How different everything would have been if Han had known how much and how desperately the kid loved him.

On Yavin, when Han had offered Luke to come with them, Chewbacca had felt sure that Luke would have joined them, if it hadn’t been for the Rebellion. They could have lived aboard the Falcon, the two humans happy and carefree, and he guarding them, enjoying their happiness. Instead of going through the agony of the past years, they could have been content, as all living beings were supposed to be.

 _Last time_ , Chewie thought, _I saw the child, he was so afraid that he might not be good enough for the task set before him. He smelled like a badly prepared little cub who enters the forest for his puberty test to make his first kill, believing that he will fail. I could smell that fear on him_.

He thought of Luke as a child who hadn’t been properly raised. Compared to his own two hundred years, the human was incredibly young and vulnerable, and for all his powers still remained a child. And those powers, the Wookiee knew, were not helping Luke any. Han was scared of them too.

“Now don’t just stand there with that belt, do something,” Han urged him, taking off his vest and shirt. “It’s not gonna kill me. And it’s not like this is the first time I’ve been whipped, and you know it.”

The Wookiee moved reluctantly, slapping the belt against Han’s back.

“Kraat, Chewie, this isn’t even hard enough to draw a little blood. I can’t take the chance he’s not gonna feel it. Put a little muscle in!” Han yelled. “I’m not made of glass. Move! Would you please proceed with a little more enthusiasm? And keep it up until I pass out. Or do you just wanna tickle me with that belt forever? Damnit, this is supposed to hurt, so make it hurt! Get this over with!”

* * *

_Something’s happening, something calls me_. Luke didn’t want to allow the world to touch him, but the feeling scraped persistently against the wall of isolation he’d built around himself. He finally listened. It was pain... Han?

The name itself was like a touch of warmth, a memory of comfort long forgotten. Han’s pain? Again? Not again – and where? Luke tried to concentrate on the source. It was Han’s pain he felt, but no sense of danger surrounded it. This wasn’t anything like Bespin, when the odds had been that Han would die. The feeling was different, without the incandescent twinge of fear, yet Luke knew Han was hurt. And not far in the future, but now, and nearby.

 _Han is here?_ he asked himself. _I have to find him_. Emerging from his cocoon woven of walls built with the Force, Luke was surprised to find that he barely had any control over his body. It took an effort to straighten his back and stand up. _Just how long have I been sitting here?_ he wondered, trying to coach his limbs to move.

He staggered to his ship, and strapped himself in. Artoo beeped, a worried sound. Letting the beacon of Han’s pain guide him, Luke flew over the tangled mass of trees. A crimson drop of blood hit the back of his hand where it rested on the controls of his ship. Only then did he realize that he’d bitten his dry lip. He pulled down the spout that gave him a drink.

 _Great_ , he thought, _just when was the last time I bothered to take a drink? Really, I set myself up to die here. But first I’ve got to find out what’s wrong with Han, then I can still sit down and not move until my body melts into the ground_.

 _Now, young Skywalker, you will die_...

 _Pardon me, Your Majesty, there’s a little delay in the process. First I’ve got to make sure I don’t leave any unfinished business behind. But I don’t want to live. I don’t want to see Han. He’s not mine and never will be. Still, it’s not Han’s fault that I want more than he’s willing to give. I still owe it to him, to see if he needs my help_.

The beacon of pain led him to a flat plain where he landed his ship. Luke walked a short distance, and even that minor exertion left him utterly exhausted. The sight before him brought him to an abrupt stop, and he stared at the most incredible scene. This wasn’t anything he’d ever thought he’d witness. Blood running down his back, Han knelt in front of the Wookiee, who was whipping him viciously. Luke couldn’t believe his eyes. Chewie glanced at him and threw down the belt he was holding.

Han raised his head and grinned. “Hey, I was right – this worked. Kid, just how else was I supposed to find you on this godforsaken planet?”

“You made Chewie beat you bloody to draw me out?” Luke asked, stunned.

“Well, Leia told me that you could feel my pain before. Thought I’d risk it.” Han pulled himself up to sit on a fallen log. “Chewie, bring some of that bacta cream and put a good layer on my back. It hurts like hell.” He sat still while the Wookiee applied the cream to his raw back. “That’s better,” he said, relieved. “Now, Luke, sit down and tell me what you’re doing here, and why you look like your own ghost. You must’ve lost half your previous weight. Are you alive at all, or just a Jedi ghost like Kenobi?”

“I’m not sure,” Luke said softly. “I don’t think I’m really alive.”

“Tell me what happened.” Han’s tone left no room for arguments. “Sit down. You look like shit. I’ve never seen you looking like this. You’re filthy, and you haven’t shaved in ages. And where the hell are your own clothes? What you’re wearing’s way too loose on you. Chewie, bring this nut something to eat.”

Luke sat down on the log, because his legs threatened to give up supporting him.

“Han,” he started, “this is a Jedi matter. I can’t explain it. When I confronted the Emperor, he defeated me. Vader saved my life.”

“Vader? Why would he?”

“He was my father.”

After a startled pause, Han said, “Well, that explains it.”

“Explains what?”

“Why he was so hell-bent on finding you.” Han sighed, shifting his position on the log beside Luke. “What do you mean, the Emperor defeated you?”

“He struck me with Force-generated lightning. If Vader hadn’t thrown him down the reactor shaft, I’d have been dead instead of him.”

“And?” In spite of everything, Han was almost amused. Trust the kid to talk in riddles.

“At that point, my father came back to the light. And he redeemed himself.”

Han snorted. “Good for him. Does that mean he can come back shimmering now, like Kenobi?”

Luke nodded. “Yes, I’ve seen him.”

“Well, then I guess everything’s well.” Han shot him a searching look. “But if all’s well, why do you look like you’ve got one leg in the grave?”

“I wish I understood. The Emperor ordered me to die. And I’m doing just that. I can’t resist it. I think it’s burned into my mind. I have to die.”

“Crap,” Han growled, watching the haggard face, the blue eyes that had not a spark of energy in them.

“You can’t feel it, but for me it’s as solid as this log here,” Luke tried to explain. “Han, I’m not living in the same world as you do. My reality is rooted in the Force. Things happen to me that are outside your experience.”

“I don’t doubt that. The last I’ve heard is that the Calamari claim they communicate with the ocean. Maybe they do. But that doesn’t mean they’re not just as much a sentient as I am.”

At that point, Chewie came down the ramp, carrying a tray of food for the cubs. He set it down between them.

Luke didn’t touch anything.

“Okay, if you wanna sit here ‘til you wilt like a flower,” Han said, “I’ve got to make my own decision. I think you’re not capable of rational judgement. Putting it plainly, I think you’ve gone nuts.”

Luke stared at him. “You really think so?”

“I’m pretty convinced of it,” Han returned, all matter-of-factness. “And I’ll handle you accordingly. If you can believe the Emperor gave you an irrevocable order to die, you shouldn’t doubt that he had the power to drive you crazy as well. And I think you’re way too ready to go along with his order – so ready that you’re not even trying to fight it. Anything else nudging you to the grave? Do you think that maybe you’ll turn into another Vader?”

“No, I know I won’t.” Luke reached out for a glass of water and drank it.

“That’s good,” Han said and started to fix himself a huge sandwich. “Now, would you do me a favor, seeing how I had my back decorated for you? Try not to drop dead while I’m here. I hate digging graves, and putting a pyre together in this swamp is a hell of a boring job. Would take forever to find enough dry wood. Eat something. Just enough to make you last for a couple more days. Then I’ll leave, and you can go on wilting. There’s things we should talk about before I go.”

His sarcasm worked. Reluctantly, Luke took a bite of the food, surprised at how good it was. His young body demanded more. Watching Han sit there and devour an enormous sandwich almost felt like a touch in the Force, a touch of life itself.

Luke ate slowly, but more than he’d thought he would manage. While Han didn’t think he’d eaten enough, it was far more than he’d had in days. His stomach felt almost painfully full. A strange lassitude enveloped Luke as his deprived body concentrated all its energy on absorbing the food. His eyes closed, and he felt himself sliding towards sleep.

Han smiled. “Chewie, let’s put him to bed.”

*I’ll carry him,* the Wookiee answered. *You’d just break the wounds on your back open again.* He bent down to scoop Luke up in his huge arms. *He has lost a lot of weight, Han. I think he’s really going to die. He doesn’t smell right.*

“How does he smell?”

*Not very much alive. It’s not how he smells, it’s how he doesn’t smell,* Chewbacca rumbled. *He doesn’t smell of maleness or youth. He doesn’t smell of sweat or anything normal. His clothes smell of the swamp, but his body smells are too pure. Not human. A ghost might have no smell like this.*

Chewie carried the sleeping Jedi into the Falcon and laid him down on Han’s bunk. Han slowly undressed him. Luke didn’t wake up, even when the last stitch of clothing had been removed from his thin body.

“Gods, how sick he looks.” Han sighed.

 _Should I take this seriously – that he’s got some sorcerous curse on him that’s forcing him to die? Nah, I can’t. The last thing he needs is someone giving him another push. At least one of us has to deny it_. Han threw the muddy clothes into the cleaner and covered Luke with a thick blanket.

 _Damn this whole Jedi business_ , he thought, _damn his powers, damn his mysterious senses, damn all that’s in him that I can’t touch, that I can’t see and can’t deal with. I’m not gonna let him drop dead just ‘cause he thinks he should. If he can’t cope with it, he can’t fight it_.

 _No_ , Han contradicted himself a moment later, _of course he could fight it if he wanted to. But he won’t fight for himself, he never did – never did anything for his own sake, he exists solely for others_. He looked down at the slender form on the bed, anger welling up inside him. _Does he want anything? Does he have any dreams, any desires left? Is he human at all? Or is he merely a vessel of the Force? Whatever the Force is. Can’t those damned powers leave him alone? He’s just a kid, a good kid. This is eating him alive. Hell, I’m not gonna stand by and watch it happen_.

And suddenly a thought more powerful than anything he’d ever felt rose in Han’s soul. Something he’d never thought he’d feel, a rock-solid knowledge of belonging, rooted in every word he and Luke had ever exchanged. A primal sound like a triumphant cry echoed inside him, where he’d never expected to feel anything but empty space. The sound was his own spirit crying out, freed from a bondage of his own making, his reluctance to form relationships, his need to be free, to move on. But now something had torn loose inside him. _He’s mine! He wants me, and there’s no reason we can’t be happy together! I’m not giving him up. He’s mine, and mine alone. Nothing and nobody can take him from me. He may be the last Jedi, I don’t care – I don’t care if he’s a demi-god, I don’t care if he’s a sorcerer, I don’t care if he’s had a dozen orders to die from a dozen Emperors. He’s mine. Mine to take, mine to hold. Mine!_

“Back off,” a malicious voice intruded. “He’s not yours, and never will be. You are nothing.”

Han spun around to see who was talking to him. There was no one in the cabin, yet a sudden cold touched him, dark tendrils of fear and hatred wrapped around his heart.

“Get out of here,” he said defensively. “If you’re the Emperor, you’ve got no power over me. I don’t buy any of this. And I ain’t dealing with dead people. This is my ship, this is my life, and this is my Luke. You get lost. Go back to wherever the dead are supposed to be. I don’t think you’ve got any kind of power that can touch me.”

“Oh, but I have,” the bodiless voice returned. “I am your doubts, your fears, I am your anger, your thoughts about him. I am your lust that wants to possess him. You don’t love him, you just want to ride him, you want him as you’d want a whore. You’d turn him into your catamite. That’s all you’d ever allow him to be.”

“Great speech.” Han bowed ironically. “Nice try. Really nice try. Check me, see if I’m moved by this. Of course I want him. But that’s normal. He’s mine, and sex is a part of it. You’re a mile off, Your Ghostness. I’m not some pure and honorable prince who’d feel confused by wanting to have sex. I don’t exactly know what a catamite is – gotta be some derogatory word for the one who’s not on top. Is that what it means?” When no answer came, he continued, “Believe me, being my lover’s not going to degrade Luke in any way. It might actually put a smile on his face. Corellians have a pretty good reputation, not only for size and endurance, but for our imaginative approach to sex. Now get out of here.” Han felt the dark presence retreat a step.

“I’ll be back, and then you will feel less confident, Corellian,” Palpatine whispered in his mind.

Han grinned. The cold was gone. He supposed it would return eventually, but perhaps the ghost couldn’t hurt him. Maybe for Luke, it was more real and could do more harm.

In the lounge, Han finished his sandwich and had a cold ale. Time and again, he checked on Luke, but he never felt the Emperor’s presence. That reassured him, though he wondered if it could be that easy.

But what if it is that easy? What if it’s enough to say no? Luke had once mentioned how his Master had told him he’d failed because he didn’t believe. _Well, I believe_... Han grinned. _I believe I can kick the ass of any ghost_.

He carried the last of his ale back into the cabin and immediately felt insidious cold surround him. Luke still slept, but now he was whimpering in his sleep. Naked under the blanket, he was shaking. At first Han thought he was in pain, but the whimpers turned to moans, and the pale face was flushed with pleasure.

“He is dreaming of you, Corellian,” Palpatine’s voice said. “I’m sending him dreams of delights he has never tasted. Do you know that he is untouched? Do you know that now, he is touching himself? He wants you. But he will never have you, and my revenge will be complete. He will die.” Icy certainty rippled through the cabin. “You know it. I may not reach you, but I can reach him, in a realm where you are powerless. He will dream of making love to you and won’t stop until he dies. Stand here and watch. There is nothing you can do. Nothing. Watch him. Know that in his dream, he is in your arms. Yet he’s exhausted and ill. He won’t survive these dreams, but he won’t stop. He cannot stop. I have power over him. Power you can’t even sense.”

“I don’t believe you,” Han growled. “I know your game – you want me to believe you, but I won’t. You can’t do this to him. You can’t make him do this.”

“I can’t? Watch him. His lust for you, his love will kill him.”

Han had never felt so helpless before. He couldn’t think of anything to do. When he finally tried to shake Luke awake, there was no response. He couldn’t reach Luke, and his apprehension grew as he listened to Luke calling his name, with abandoned pleasure, over and over.

“Again, Han, again, I need more,” Luke moaned. “Take me. I want you, I’ve always wanted you.”

 _No one can do this so many times_ , Han thought. _No being, human or not, can survive this nonstop_. He had to admit that what the dark spirit could do to Luke was indeed real. His cries didn’t stop. Han thought that it should have been arousing to see Luke want him so much, but all he felt were horror and pity. He wondered if turning Luke’s illusions into reality would help, but his body didn’t respond.

“Now you are afraid,” Palpatine observed acidly. “Good. Your fear opens you to me. I like your fear.”

Han bit his lip. “Leave him alone, damnit! What’d he ever do to you?”

“He took my Darth Vader away from me, he destroyed my Empire, everything I created. Now I will watch him die, in this grotesque parody of his love for you. Very fitting, don’t you agree? His love for his father killed Vader, now his love for you will kill him.”

 _I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let this happen_ , Han vowed. “Will you get the hell out of here?” he said aloud. “Or is it that you’re afraid to stop whispering about how I can’t possibly help him, ‘cause if you did, I could do what I want? And succeed at it? If you were that sure I’ll fail, you’d go hovering somewhere else and come back to gloat in a day or so.

“No, the fact that you’re sticking around means I’ve got a chance,” Han sneered. True, the dark ghost’s presence frightened him, but he’d dealt with enemies stronger than himself before, and survived. He’d handle this one too. In fact, this one might not even be that strong, Han told himself. So far, he hadn’t gotten so much as a bruise. Just how scary could something be that never even tried to hit him?

“Just hang around,” he continued. “There’s not a thing you can do. You’ve got some power over him, ‘cause he believes that you do. He believes in the Force and leaves himself wide open to you. He believes you’ve defeated him. Well, have you? Or were you just riding his insecurities, making him believe that he couldn’t possibly fight the Sith Master and win? Is that what you’re doing to him, using his own doubts against him? And even if you manage to get him killed, will that give you life? You’ll still be a ghost.”

“I’m not a ghost,” Palpatine’s voice hissed. “I am myself, in the Force. Which is where Skywalker is, and there he is no match for me. Whether I’m exploiting his insecurities is irrelevant. All that counts is my victory.

“Go ahead and take him. All you want is a free ride. You have been without sex too long for your race. You need carnal pleasure, not him. You are a beggar and a thief, a pirate, while he is a prince. You can’t resist doing this.”

“Sure, Your Majesty, you’re my fears, my doubts, but I’ve had doubts and fears for most of my life. Right now, I can’t afford them.” Han squared his stance. “As long as you’re here, I won’t believe you have an ounce of confidence your plan’s gonna work. Besides, I think you can’t keep control over Luke ‘n me at the same time. See, he’s stopped. You’re not as powerful as you’d like me to believe. I’d have to be your willing partner in this, and I’m not. Get lost. Get the hell offa my ship. Or d’you wanna talk to me forever? Come back some other time, when you have a ghost of a chance to succeed.” He grinned. “Pun intended.”

“I will be back,” Palpatine promised, “when you least expect me. Remember that I will be there with you, in every word you tell him, in every embrace. You will understand that I shall have a hold on him forever. Even if years pass without me, you will know that he’s mine.”

“Wrong – he’s mine,” Han snapped. “What d’you need him for anyway?”

“I want him to be my living tool. He will not have his own thoughts, but mine. He will follow my orders. No, he won’t die, he will merely cease to exist as Luke Skywalker. You can still have his mortal body if you desire it; that doesn’t concern me. He will be an extension of my will on this plane.”

“I’m getting bored with this,” Han claimed brazenly. “This whole conversation’s too highfalutin for me. Okay, so for the time being, you want him alive. Then leave him with me, so I can make sure he doesn’t starve himself to death. You want his mortal body for your own purposes, then let me take care of that. He’s no use to you dead. When he’s a shimmering ghost like Kenobi, he won’t be much good for you anymore.” He smirked to himself. _Yeah, show me a being, dead or alive, who can outtalk a Corellian. I can talk ‘til his molecules disperse in the damned Force out of sheer boredom_.

“Let’s talk this over in detail, Your Majesty,” he went on. “You want him alive, so let me keep him alive. He thinks you’ve given him an order to die and he’s obeying that order. Means you’re not gonna have him as a live servant. And just how is he going to be your servant? Are you planning to set him up in some kind of palace somewhere? He’s got no money. He’ll need a lot of it.”

“Now you are interested, Corellian?” The Emperor’s scorn wrapped around him. “Money... money is what you want? Money is easy to get. Vader left everything he ever owned to his son. All Luke has to do is claim it. It is an immense fortune. Take him to Coruscant and have him claim his legacy. You can run his affairs for him and live like a king. You can still be his lover. As I said, what you do with his body is no concern of mine.”

Han let himself relax, conjuring up pictures of immense riches in his own head, credits, all the credits he’d never had, the feeling of being rich, the things he’d buy. The parties he’d throw for old friends, the ship he’d always wanted, designed to his exact specifications, the landspeeder he’d drive. He knew the ghost was reading him and allowed himself to indulge every fantasy he’d ever had about being rich.

“Typical, how typical.” He felt the cold tendrils of the dark sort through the images in his brain.

Then, when the ghost was satisfied, it turned to Luke who now lay motionless, though his eyes had opened. Han could almost sense the exchange between them.

“You can live, young Skywalker,” the dark presence whispered. “As long as I need you.”

Luke lifted his head at that. “No, let me die, and finish this. With me gone, you’ll have no anchor on this plane. At least everybody else will be free of you.”

“Until another Force-sensitive child is born,” Palpatine corrected him. “Someone new I can claim.”

“You’re talking about Leia’s children, any child she’ll have!” Becoming more agitated, Luke struggled to sit up. “No. Then I’ll stay alive for you.”

“Good, that’s what your Corellian friend wants as well. He wants all the money you’ve inherited from your father. Vader was incredibly rich. You can give your friend all he ever dreamed of.” The dark voice chuckled. “You know that he’s quite a mercenary, don’t you?”

Luke frowned. Han was interested in money, but that wasn’t what drove him, it never had been.

“You don’t believe me? How pathetic. I have probed his mind, and that’s all he thought of. I’ll leave you for now, I shall be back when you have recovered.” The cold was gone in an instant.

“What was he talking about?” Luke asked.

“I let him read my mind, and I did think of money, as much as I could.” Han leaned back against the wall and studied Luke, pleased to see color return to his face. “You overestimate him. You think he can’t be misled? You think he’s all-powerful? He’s not a god, and neither are you. You’ve got some strange powers, but that doesn’t make you any more special than a Wookiee. Chewie can smell things and knows as much as you can read in my mind, if not more. Thoughts can lie, but smells can’t.” Han sighed. “Stop thinking of yourself as something otherworldy. You’re as human as anybody else. And that’s the part of you I can claim.”

“Claim?” Luke sounded surprised. What had happened that Han suddenly talked about claiming him? “What do you mean by that?”

“Claim, as a lover,” Han said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Luke stared at him. _How can this happen?_ he thought. _I hoped for this, but it always seemed impossible_... “How did you find out?”

“Find what out?” Han asked.

“That I wanted you?” Luke asked, turning beet red.

“I didn’t. Seems like Chewie knew from day one. And then Leia figured it out on her own and told me. At first I thought she was hallucinating... I’ve never been the bonding kind, at least I didn’t think so. Then at one point, I had to admit the whole truth of it...” Han paused to meet Luke’s eyes. “I want an exclusive bond. I can’t let you go again. I can’t explain away what I feel for you.”

Luke felt elated, thinking of the possibility that they might have a life together. Then he remembered how many dangers he’d drag into their life. “Han, don’t do this, I don’t know what’s going to happen to me, and how it’ll turn out. I might have to go to places where you can’t follow.”

“Let’s do it the other way. You follow me.” Han ran his fingers through Luke’s tangled hair. “That’ll be safer. The Emperor wants to use you, he might try to override your will and manipulate your body. Now that you’ve decided to live, I’d better get you something to eat.” He stopped again in the doorway. “Just how much do you remember of what happened here?” He hoped that Luke had mercifully forgotten most of it.

“Nothing much. I think I was unconscious for a while. Have I wet myself? The blanket is damp.” Luke was confused.

Han sighed. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but he made you do it.”

“Do what?”

“He projected to you that we were making love. And made you enjoy it.”

“Why?”

“Mostly to unsettle me, I guess.”

Luke shook his head. “Did he?”

“Did he what?”

“Unsettle you?”

“Yeah, he told me he’d keep it up ‘til you die.”

“Hmm.” Luke almost smiled, and Han thought it was the best thing that had happened to them all day. “That would be a nice way to go,” Luke added, and now he was smiling for real.

Han went out to bring food and some reconstituted fruit juice. Luke ate slowly, but with much enjoyment.

“Now that he’s given you permission, will you live?” Han asked.

“I don’t think I need his permission anymore,” Luke answered between bites. “You know I never finished my Jedi training. But just in the past few hours, I’ve learned much. From you. You’re not a Jedi, but you know things I’ve never learned.”

Han pulled up his shoulders. “When you start life as a beggar and go on working as a smuggler, you learn to use every advantage to survive. I don’t think a Sith Lord’s a much more difficult enemy than all the planetary authorities put together, plus Jabba the Hutt. His majesty isn’t going to give up easily.” Han snorted. “But we’ll either learn to live with him, or he’ll let go. He doesn’t have any actual power, you know.”

“What makes you think that?”

“He couldn’t so much as levitate something to throw at me. The only thing he’s capable of is reading minds, and sayin’ things to scare the heck out of you. And then, when you’re scared, he can take your fear and get even deeper into you. He’ll be back to make you believe all I want is your credits.” Han shrugged. He could live with a ghost, if it didn’t appear too often.

Luke shook his head. “I know you, he can’t make me believe that. Besides, I have no intention of claiming Vader’s money.”

“That’d puzzle him, but let him be puzzled.” Han laughed. “I think he’ll give up eventually. Can’t Kenobi or Vader do something about it? They probably all shimmer together in the same otherwordly tavern every Saturday night.”

Luke smiled at the image. “Let’s get back to the beginning,” he said, “and the reasons that brought you here.”

“Leia told me that I love you.”

“She told you?” He barely dared to believe that. It was one thing to accept that Han wanted him, but this went far beyond his wildest dreams.

“Yeah. I didn’t know, or at least I didn’t think of it that way. I kept thinkin’ of you, and I was kinda restless, but...” For a moment, Han looked slightly uncomfortable. “I don’t really have a whole lot of experience at this kind of thing.”

“I thought you had a thing going with Leia.”

“Yeah, exactly, a thing. A friendly kind of flirt that might or might not’ve led to something more serious,” Han answered. “She probably loved me, but I think by the time she confronted me, she decided she’d be better off free from me. I’m kinda new to all this... I mean, I had my sex life, but that was all. I never belonged to anyone, and never wanted anyone to belong to me. All I ever needed was a friendly body to sink myself into.” He shrugged. “I never asked if it was male or female, or even human. As long as the fun was mutual, I was fine.

“I’d be glad to share it all with you,” he offered. Almost immediately, he felt a touch in his mind, not the cold tendrils of the ghost, but a touch of warm curiosity, as Luke searched for his memories.

“If you read my mind, is it like you’re experiencing everything?” He put an arm around Luke. This was the first time he’d touched him since his unexpected discovery, and the warmth of it shocked them both.

“Sort of. I just saw all kinds of beings you’ve made love to.”

Han grimaced. “Don’t use that expression, it’s stupid. In my language, there’s no such expression. You don’t make love, you have sex, and we’ve got at least a dozen other expressions for it. Starting with the brutally crude, the playful, the plain, the medical, on to the legal and the reverent. That’s the one ‘making love’ would translate to, I think. Five-minute encounters in a back room or a dark alley don’t count as making love.” He smiled at Luke. “To give you a translation, it’s called making music together, and that’s a nice expression. Or you can use another, and call it making needs meet. That’s the kind of sex when two beings get together for fast and satisfying pleasure, and a year later they might not even recognize each other. That’s fine, but with you it’s different. I think I’d stay with you even if you never let me touch you.”

Luke snuggled a little closer to him. “That’s what I did, Han, for the past years. I kept close to you, just to be there.”

“The Emperor says you never had sex with anyone.”

“That’s true. At home, there wasn’t much choice, and then we met... Remember our little clash at the beginning, in the cantina? I didn’t know you then. Later, when we worked together, I found out who you really are, and then I was lost.” Luke sighed. “I never thought I’d be able to tell you all this.”

“That’s crazy. If you’d flirted with me just a little, we could have a well-established bond by now.” Han buried his fingers in the silky strands of Luke’s hair.

“I never dared. I didn’t know how to do that anyway. And I was afraid I’d lose you as a friend if I dragged this into it.”

Han winked at him. “Yeah, sure, you’ll lose me as a friend. Once we’re lovers, we won’t really be friends anymore. But I think that’ll be even better than friendship.”

“Still, Han, think about it.” The image of their future together was beautiful and promising, but Luke couldn’t help being afraid. “I’m not sure I can deal with Palpatine. As a Jedi, I’m only half trained.”

“Half trained to do what? To let yourself be exterminated like all those great Jedi in the past? What good did their training do them?” Han waved a hand. “I think you should be grateful they didn’t train you any better. At least you have the freedom to use your own common sense, instead of some rulebook that’s carved in stone. How many Jedi were there – ten thousand, and all of them fully trained? And still Vader and the Emperor killed them single-handed...

“Yeah okay,” Han went on before Luke could say anything, “between the two of them, they had four hands, while ten thousand Jedi had twenty thousand hands to defend themselves with. I’d say whatever they’d learned not only didn’t help them, but most probably caused their downfall too. What did Kenobi teach you, besides trying to hit remotes with your eyes closed?”

“Not much,” Luke admitted. “I barely knew him. Yoda taught me more.”

“I don’t think you ever told me about that.”

“He was a Jedi Master,” Luke answered. “He taught me to levitate objects, and how to use the Force to move faster. He was the one who said I’d fail if I didn’t believe. And he told me not to think of the future, but to keep my mind on where I was and what was I doing.”

“That sounds like good advice. Care to take it?” Han liked the idea. It was how he lived, doing what he needed to do, always living in the moment, never allowing himself to worry about the future. Which was exactly what Luke was doing, driving himself crazy with thoughts about things to come.

“All right, I admit having a resident ghost sort of spoils the mood,” Han went on, “but right now, we seem to have a moment to do nothing but relax. Just think, we might die tomorrow. So, what makes more sense, to spend our time worrying about it, or enjoy the present? The more certain I am that the future’s gonna be difficult, the more I need to fill my present with joy. And now that we’ve discovered we want each other, don’t you think we should do something about it?” He reached out to pull Luke closer to him.

The feeling of actually holding the kid in his arms was incredible. His universe was complete, and he had all he’d ever needed. The warmth of the slim body, the soft silk of Luke’s hair so close to his mouth when he bent his head for a kiss... Han felt the kid tremble as he tightened his arms around him. Luke raised his face, almost as if he were asking to be kissed, but still too innocent to boldly offer his mouth. Han needed no other invitation. He didn’t expect an expert kissing him back, but the absolute certainty that Luke had never been kissed before was a heady feeling. It was almost unfair that whatever he did – a simple touch, a stroke of his fingertips – made the kid gasp and look at him with wide open eyes.

Han pulled the blanket off him and continued to explore every inch of skin. When he started to take the kid’s penis in his mouth, Luke cried out.

“What’re you doing?” he gasped. “You can’t possibly do that! You can’t!”

Han raised his head, laughing. “Somebody told you that this is dirty? Leave everything to me. I know what I’m doing, and I promise I won’t do anything that hasn’t been done between men since the beginning of time. The fancy Corellian techniques can wait. Today, whatever I’m gonna do shouldn’t surprise you...”

When he ran his hands across Luke’s chest and hips, he could feel every bone in the too-thin body, and he wondered if it was a good idea to take Luke now, when he was still so weak. Yet he knew the Sith could get a hold on Luke’s doubts as long as the passion in him was both demanding and suppressed. Luke must not have any fears or shame; those were the very feelings the Emperor’s ghost could hook his claws into.

Han’s task was more difficult than he’d expected. He found it hard to imagine that anyone could be so utterly naive about the things men did in bed. Everything he did either amazed or shocked Luke. Between Luke’s cries of pleasure and his stunned protests, Han was delighted, yet somewhat outraged that Luke had never had anyone who’d educate him – not even a teenage chum or an older friend who’d have given the kid at least a few pointers, or a couple of minutes of healthy pleasure.

The love Han felt for him now was so powerful it almost frightened him. How a human being could live with this much attachment, Han didn’t know. With a feeling like that, how would he bear to be separated from Luke even for a minute?

 _I’ll be all right_ , he told himself. _It’s not gonna kill me, and so long as he loves me back, we’ll be just fine_. He continued his lovemaking, gently preparing Luke for the next step with fragrant oil.

“Why are you doing this?” Luke asked. “It feels good, but what is it for?”

“Hush,” Han whispered. “Leave it to me.”

“Oh, I think I know what you want,” Luke said, apparently remembering something he’d heard. “You want to take me.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m going to do, but only when you’re ready. That’ll take a few minutes.”

“Will it hurt?”

“If it does, I’d be very much ashamed.” Han smiled. “Did anything I’ve done so far hurt you?”

“No.” Luke hugged him close. “You make me feel wonderful... Do you feel good too?”

“Don’t hear me complain, do you? But you could try touching me, if you like.”

“Here?” Luke asked, reaching out very carefully to stroke Han’s penis. “Like this?”

“Maybe a little rougher. It’s not a flower, you know.” Han laughed when he felt Luke press against him. “Now I think you are ready, and so am I. We’re going to do this very carefully.” He took Luke by his shoulders to rearrange their positions. “Actually, you’re going to do it. I’ll just lay down, and you can try to take me in, very slowly, at your own pace. Don’t try to do it at once. I don’t expect you can take the whole length at first.”

“This is strange,” Luke said, staring at the magnificent cock he was supposed to take into his body. “Very strange. Sure I can’t hurt it with my weight?”

“Trust me, you can’t.” Han smiled. “Just do it slowly and trust your own instincts. You’ll feel when you’re doing it right – it should feel good for you too.”

 _It does_ , Luke thought as he straddled Han’s hips and lowered himself. _Oh, how good it feels_... Odd, that something so weird could feel this good. “Am I doing it right?” he whispered.

Han only laughed. “Oh yeah, you’re doin’ it very right.” He’d been with boys who performed with more art and knowledge, but he hadn’t been any happier with that. “Now, just stay put.”

He reached out to pleasure Luke with his hands, and a sudden gasp was his reward. Blue eyes opened wide, hot flesh warmed his palm. _Damn_ , Han thought, _we could’ve been doing this for years, if I hadn’t been such a moron_.

He hadn’t expected Luke to last very long the first time, but he was mistaken. Jedi control worked in the slim body, and the pleasure was drawn out to the point when Han thought he’d start begging for release.

“Now?” Luke asked. “I think I know what to do... I can read you. You’re thinking of something I should do for you...” And with that he tightened his muscles around Han’s cock.

Han cried out as release washed over him like a hot wave. He felt Luke’s seed on his skin as the kid’s body suddenly relaxed. A few moments later, Luke rolled off him.

“Was I supposed to do that?” he asked when they’d both recovered a little. “Should I wash it off you?”

“Not yet,” Han murmured. “We can shower together once I get my brains back in gear.” He smiled. “Right now, just let me hold you for a moment.” 

 

It lasted much longer than a moment; they both fell asleep in seconds, sated and peaceful, Han’s arms around Luke, their heads together on the pillow.

Chewie peeked in through the door they’d left carelessly open. _Good_ , the Wookiee thought, glad to see Han smile in his sleep. _This will be good for both of them_. He purred softly. He’d always liked Luke, such a rare good human, not a selfish bone in him.

Later, when Han woke up, and Luke stirred slowly beside him, Chewie called out to them. *I want you to come out and eat, it’s high time! I’m making roasted fish!*

Luke, to Han’s surprise, moved like lightning. “Roasted fish? I’ve never eaten that before.”

From the look of him, Luke was back to normal. _Well_ , Han smiled as he followed him to the galley, _like they say in Corelli, there’s no wound in our souls that good loving cannot cure_.

His race wasn’t carnivore, but he watched the other two devour the crispy fish with delight. Chewie had prepared a huge dish of roasted kippa for him.

“I’ve been thinking about Vader’s money,” Luke said after he’d finished a whole fish, and not a small one. “I think I’ll claim it after all. First of all, that’d put the Emperor’s mind to rest, and I can donate a large amount to Leia’s efforts to aid the Alderaani survivors. And you could have the Falcon upgraded. Palpatine would expect you to spend like crazy... Is there anything Chewie or you want? Better to spend on that than let Vader’s money just sit there. Besides, so many rebels got killed, there are plenty of orphans and widows we can help. I assume it’s an obscene amount of money.”

“Money?” Han asked with mock surprise. “Kid, there’s more than that – estates, large companies, whatever you can imagine. Vader was definitely one of the wealthiest men in the galaxy. I heard a lot about it from Lando. Trust him, he’d know exactly what Vader owned.”

“Do you think Leia would want to run those companies?”

“No, but I’m sure she’d like to use the profits to support the remaining Alderaani.”

“What about the land?” Luke wondered.

“Sell it,” Han suggested. “Unless there’s a nice asteroid where we could settle down.”

“Would you like that? They usually have envirodomes.”

The blue eyes lit up, and Han could guess at the thoughts passing behind them. “For you, it’d have to be a dome with a lake and lots of trees inside. And the weather set to produce rain.” 

“How do you know I’d want that?” Luke was truly puzzled.

“I remember seeing you a few years ago, dancing like crazy when you were drenched with rain for the first time in your life.” Han laughed; it had been an incredible moment. _Maybe that’s when I fell in love with him_ , he thought. _I just didn’t know it. To see him so overwhelmed by the sensation of getting wet to the bone... There was so much joy in him then, I want him to be like that again. I want him to be carefree and happy like the kid he is_. The memory made way to another sweep of anger. _Goddamn this whole Force business that nearly kills him. There has to be some way around it, there’s always a back door. The larger, the more complex a system is, the bigger the chance there’ll be more loopholes, more back doors, to sneak through_.

Chewie returned with the next set of dishes. *Is the ghost gone for now?*

“I hope so,” Han growled. “You’re the expert on religion. Don’t you have a holy candle or something to smoke him out?”

*No, not for his kind, because he’s not really a ghost, he is alive in the Force,* the Wookiee replied as casually as if he were talking about engine repairs. *Were he a ghost, it would be easy to pray him away. But we can talk about this again some other time. I might have to check something.*

“Yeah, you do that.” Han was sure Chewie didn’t have to check anything; he merely didn’t want to say more about it in front of Luke.

They finished their meals, and when Luke had had his fill, after a lot less than he’d normally eat, Han could see him get sleepy again.

Luke crawled back into the bunk, and Han covered him with a blanket. “You need a lot more food and a lot of rest, kid,” he said, but Luke had already dropped off.

With another glance at him, Han went to the lounge where Chewie was waiting.

“He’s asleep, now tell me what you want me to do.”

The Wookiee shook his head. *I don’t want you to do it, but I have to be honest with you and tell you about it. On Kashyyyk, our priests consume something to make them sensitive to the Force for a short while. I think it’d work for humans too. It won’t taste very good, but maybe you could understand the whole business better.*

“And you don’t know what it is?”

*Some kind of fungus. I’d have to return home to get it.*

“Good, then you drop us off on Coruscant and go get some of that,” Han returned. “And thanks, Chewie.”

 _What’d I say?_ He grinned to himself. _Guess that’s the back door I was looking for. Maybe I could go shimmer with them in that otherworldly tavern myself. I sure have a few things to say to Vader and Kenobi_.

*I’ll check if it has any bad effects on standard humans,* Chewbacca insisted.

“Don’t worry too much, if it doesn’t kill me, nothing can be that bad.”

Privately, Han admitted that it did worry him a bit; not because of the stuff’s possible side effects, but he was afraid to feel the Force.

 _You damn coward_ , he cursed himself. _The kid has to face it all the time, and I can’t do anything to help him. So far I’ve been doing pretty well with his ghostly Majesty. But that was on my terms, not his. Do I really want to know how his power feels up close?_

 _No_ , he countered that thought, _don’t forget – he doesn’t have any power. Whatever power he’s got comes from what we give him. And I don’t intend to give him any_.

* * *

Luke recovered during their trip to Coruscant and ate more each day. He even resumed his exercises and practiced with the remote, exactly like the first day they’d met.

Watching him, Han remembered that day. Back then, he’d assumed that Luke had been raised by Kenobi, and it had taken him a long time to realize that Luke had barely had a chance to talk with the old Jedi.

Coruscant wasn’t new for Han, but when they stepped off the landing pad, Luke gasped at the sight of the huge buildings and the elaborate, artificial environment.

“Han, as beautiful as this looks, there’s a lot of suffering here.” He shuddered.

“You’re telling me? On the lower levels, life’s more barbaric than on any Rimworld planet.”

“I’ll have to do something about it,” Luke resolved. “Can’t tolerate that much pain. Even if we live somewhere else, I won’t be able to forget this.”

“See, you’re already finding ways how to spend Vader’s money. You can have the whole undercity renovated, build schools and hospitals, fund free medical care and all that.”

Han smiled at the prospect of being able to feel what Luke felt. _I hope that Wookiee stuff works_ , he thought as they made their way to the notary’s office. _Once I know what he’s going through, I’ll understand him far better_.

When it came to the legalities of Vader’s will, Luke felt as if someone had dealt him a savage blow. The will had been made barely two months after the destruction of the first Death Star, and the sole heir was named Luke Skywalker from Tatooine. Even his genetic code had been specified, from a sample stored at the Tatooine registry.

As they left the notary’s office, Han walked with Luke to the platform where they’d left their transport. The sun was going down, and its reddish light painted Luke’s hair a molten gold. Han thought he could see a sudden sadness come over his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Han, he was more of a father to me than I ever knew,” Luke said. “He recognized me years ago. He chased after me not as an enemy, but as a father looking for his son. Yoda was right; I wasn’t ready to face him on Bespin. He offered me a chance to destroy the Emperor, and I refused him. He said together we could end what he called a destructive conflict. I should have gone with him then. He’d be alive now... Maybe with his help, you could have been freed from the carbon freeze far earlier, too.”

“Come on, kid, I liked my rescue just fine.” Han laughed, trying to ease the mood. “Besides, how should you have known you could trust him? Everybody lied to you. Kenobi, Yoda... If they’d told you Vader was your father, you could’ve been ready for him. So why didn’t they tell you anything about it? As his son you had a chance to turn him back to the light, but they never mentioned that either. Did they really want to bring him back, or did they want him punished, preferably dead?”

“Well, Ben kept telling me my father was far beyond redemption, and I didn’t like that. No one is ever beyond redemption,” Luke said with absolute conviction. “I didn’t know Ben very well, but I think he really wanted me to kill him.”

“Maybe there was a reason for your father’s turning,” Han offered. “Maybe those famous Jedi Masters didn’t prepare him any better than they prepared you.”

“I wish I knew how it happened.” Luke sighed. “At one time, he must have been the good friend Ben called him.”

“There’s gotta be a way to find out the whole story,” Han said. “If nothing else, someone should remember. Maybe we should ask his Royal Ghostness when he shows up the next time. And now that you’re the wealthiest man in the galaxy, go rent a ship and give Leia all the money you want. I’ll wait for Chewie here, then we’ll join you on Endor.” He pulled Luke to him and kissed him right there, not caring who might watch. But only a couple of Rodians turned and stared.

Luke tried to resist at first, then just let himself be kissed as long as Han wanted to.

“Good idea,” he finally said, still slightly out of breath. “I’ll go and see Leia – there’s a lot I need to tell her. And don’t forget to spend money like crazy, that will please Palpatine. I’ll give you a couple million credits to blow... We’ll have to arrange your access to my account, but that shouldn’t take too long. Then you can go and buy an asteroid too.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t have any problem spending the money. And I’ll be around in a week or two. Chewie should be back in a few days.”

“Where did he go anyway? I think I slept most of the way here. Can’t remember where he said he was going.”

“Just for a short visit to his home planet.” _And it was true_ , Han reassured himself. _I’m not lying_.

“I’ll miss you. Try to make it one week, not two.” Luke embraced him again.

“I’ll miss you too,” Han murmured. 

 

Before leaving Coruscant, Luke decided to open an account for Han, with a deposit of ten million credits. That should be enough to convince the Emperor that Han was in it only for the money.

For his trip to Endor, Luke rented a small cruiser. “Will you at least enjoy that spending spree a little?” he asked Han, when they said goodbye at the foot of the lowered ramp.

“Well, the asteroid-buying part’s going to be fun,” Han assured him. “What kind of rain do you want? A violent downpour once a week?”

“That, yes.” Luke gave the matter some serious thought. “And maybe a small, light shower at regular intervals. And a little snow. Not as much as on Hoth, just enough to sit on the trees. And ice – could I have trees with ice frozen on them, to make them look like glass?”

Han grinned. “Anything you want. I’ll make sure you’ll get all that. And two months of hot summer for me. That okay with you?”

“Summer’s fine, only no sand please. Just grass.” Luke smiled. It was good to plan the future. Vader had had all the money in the world, and yet couldn’t even enjoy a piece of bread.

 _Father_ , Luke thought, _can you enjoy this, through me?_ But there was no response.

* * *

The silence lasted almost through the entire trip to Endor. _Father_ , Luke kept calling out, _do you hear me?_

When he finally received an answer, he expected to see the black giant. Instead, he heard only the rumbling voice inside his head.

“Yes, my son, I hear you.”

“Father,” Luke said out loud, “I need you. I need to know what to do.”

“My son,” the answer purred in his head, “you know far more than I ever did. You were the teacher, while I was the learner. Your heart is in the right place. Life is not to be lived by any other code but that of the heart.”

 _Father_ , Luke sent, _why did you turn?_

“Turn? I never turned, son. There is no Light Side or Dark Side of the Force, it is what we make of it. The Force is one thing, its users are another.” The voice paused for a moment, as if waiting for a sign of understanding. “The Force is like fire,” Vader continued. “Fire warms you, lights your room, cooks your food, but it can also kill you, and you wouldn’t blame that on the dark side of the fire. Trust yourself, my son. Cast out your fears. Walk ahead. I know that Palpatine is haunting you. He thinks he can prey on your weakness. He doesn’t realize that you are far from weak, my son. I’ve fought you twice and know you’re made of pure steel. Your only weakness is your lack of faith in yourself. I can’t give you that. Only you can trust yourself. I could sing your praises for years, and you’d still be too humble to believe me.” Vader’s anger flashed in the Force. “I wish I could tear out the hearts of Owen and Kenobi for making you humble!”

Luke was surprised to feel that his father’s Force presence was far more powerful than the Emperor’s. “You’re stonger than Palpatine.”

“I’ve always been stronger,” Vader replied. “For a while, I thought he loved me. Though stronger I may have been, he was certainly smarter. He extracted an oath from me.”

“An oath,” Luke whispered. “An oath you were too proud to break. No matter how he used you. All you had left was your honor.”

“Yes. Only for your life did I give that up,” Vader answered. “How do you know me so well, my son?”

“I’m your flesh and blood. You should know how much alike we are.”

“I wish we were, you’d have less humility then. My son, with your powers, you are nearly a god.”

“I’m just a confused kid, nothing more.”

“That’s a very comfortable approach,” his father chastised. “You are not a kid. You were destined to be the only Jedi Master alive. Act like one.”

“I’m not a Master,” Luke protested. “At best I’m a Knight.”

“And how do you mark the difference?” Vader asked.

“I wouldn’t know. Are you a Master?”

“Yes. At least that is what I used to be, before I became a spirit, lingering around only for a short while, until those who are bound to me won’t call out to me anymore. Then my spirit will disperse in the Force, to feed the energy of all living things.”

“So you’re going to be here as long as I cry out to you?” Luke asked. “Can I cause Palpatine’s spirit to disperse? He wants to inhabit my body.”

“He can’t actually inhabit your body,” Vader corrected. “But he can talk you into doing things.”

Luke breathed out slowly and realized how comfortable he felt in his father’s presence. “I’ll find it hard to let you go,” he said. “This is the first time we really talked as father and son.”

“That is true. I was unaware of your existence,” Vader sent. “You were stolen from me – my twin children stolen from me, and they call themselves Lightsiders! They raised you to be the hand that slays me!”

“They thought they were right.”

“So did I!” Vader hissed, and the Force swirled black around his presence. “So does everybody else in this universe!”

“Father,” Luke cut in, “why do you think I’m a Master?”

“You are not a Master yet. You could be one. I shall return, my son. You have things to do now.”

The presence disappeared in an instant, and Luke noticed that his ship was coming up on Endor. When he walked down the cruiser’s ramp, Leia was already waiting for him.

“I felt your approach.” She embraced him. “Where have you been? I was so worried.”

“Mostly wandering around the forest of my doubts,” Luke joked. “I’ve brought you a small present.” He handed her a credit chip.

“What—?” Leia shook her head. “This is not a present, it’s money.”

“In my book, half a billion credits is a present,” Luke returned lightly. “That’s for you and the Alderaani survivors. You can buy yourself a planet. It’s part of our father’s fortune. He left it to me, but of course he didn’t know about you at the time.” He held his sister’s eyes with an imploring look. “Leia, I talked to him, just a few minutes ago. If you called him, I think he’d come to you. He’s done things he regrets, but, given a chance, I think he would have been a good father. Ben Kenobi never gave him that chance. If he’d known about his children, I believe our father would have killed the Emperor a long time ago. Kenobi wanted him dead, not redeemed. I’m sure of that.”

Leia absorbed all of it with a small frown. “Have you seen Han?” she asked eventually. “He went to find you...”

“Have I seen Han?” Luke laughed, free and joyful. “Yes, and he’ll be on his way here as soon as Chewie picks him up on Coruscant.”

“I’m glad.” Leia studied him closely, trying to fathom the change in him. “You’re different.”

“Yes.” Luke grinned at her. “And I’d better be. Not everything is clear to me yet, but I’m beginning to believe that one day it will be. And with Han’s help, I’ll be able to lead a normal life, instead of thinking of myself as the last of a dying breed.”

“That must feel strange,” Leia agreed with a smile. “I know I think of myself as the last princess of Alderaan, and it doesn’t make me feel very good. But that’s going to end. I’m going to have a new title soon.” She leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek and lowered her voice. “I’m going to marry Lando. I thought I’d bond with Han, but that was not to be.”

“You—?”

“Yes.” Her smile widened. “I suppose you could say Lando was my second choice, but I didn’t know him well enough then. I know him better now. He may have been an adventurer, but the way he cared for Cloud City proves that he’s a born leader. I need him, not just as a man, but as a partner. He’s going to help me raise Alderaan from the ashes.” She looked down at the chip in her hand. “You said half a billion credits? I could buy a planet with that.”

“And that’s only your pocket change,” Luke told her. “There are companies, estates, and a whole lot more. You and Lando should decide what to do with it all. Perhaps it can be used to kick-start the economy of your reborn world.”

“Come with me.” Leia took his arm and drew him towards the camp in the forest. “Everybody’s waiting for you.”

Luke was surprised to see a feast laid out for him. Rebel pilots and troop commanders all greeted him warmly. He spotted Calrissian among them. The dark man looked happier than Luke had ever seen him before.

* * *

Chewbacca arrived on Coruscant that evening. *Han,* he rumbled when the Corellian boarded the Falcon, *I’ve brought the drug. The shaman thinks it’s safe for you to take it. He said you might run a little fever for a day or so, but that’s all.* He handed Han a brown gourd.

Han uncorked it and sniffed. “What the hell is this? Smells like a dead slug.”

*Close enough.* Chewie grinned. *It consists of fermented fungi. Just drink it, it’s thick like honey, or so I was told. Swallow hard.*

Han forced the gooey concoction down. When the Wookiee checked his pulse, it was steady and his breathing normal, but he didn’t move at all. With dilated pupils, he stared into nothingness.

As if he’d been tossed into a different universe, Han felt connected to everything at once. He knew where Luke was, the kid’s presence like a bonfire far on the horizon, a distinct sight in the darkness of night. And he understood what Luke had told him about experiencing the suffering of others. All of a sudden, Han felt that, too.

 _I had no idea what Luke is living with_ , he thought. The living threads of the Force shimmered around him. Suddenly he felt something like a grip on his shoulder. Another presence touched him.

 _Vader?_ he gasped.

“Yes,” the deep voice rumbled. “I’m here to let you know that if you harm a hair on Luke’s head, I will make you wish for the company of Palpatine.”

 _Read me_ , Han thought back aggressively. _I sure won’t harm him. If you wanna do him a favor, get that Royal Ghost out of his life!_

“Only Luke himself can do that,” Vader answered. “But I _shall_ read you. Stay still. This might be painful for you.”

It was. Han choked back a whimper as the powerful spirit invaded his mind. _Talk about a concerned father_ , he thought back at Vader. _Are you trying to make up for all those years when you couldn’t take care of him?_

“Yes!” The answer came with so much power that Han staggered at the impact. _Damn_ , he thought, _for those who’re naturally sensitive to the Force, this has got to be much harder than it is for me. Luke’s right, thinking that the Emperor has a certain amount of power over him. Vader’s a very real thing in my mind right now_.

“Very well,” Vader concluded his examination. “I approve. You have my blessing. You’d die before you’d hurt Luke. Most satisfactory.”

“At least give me some kind of advice how to deal with the Emperor,” Han demanded.

“I’ve already given Luke all the advice I can,” Vader answered him. “A Jedi Master is nearly invincible, but no one can make him a Master, if he doesn’t believe himself to be one. Palpatine is not that strong. In truth, his overconfidence was never his weakness, it was his strength. He believed in his own powers so absolutely that his opponents got easily scared. Once Luke is rid of him, he’ll let me go too. I want to die now. Staying on as a spirit is not my idea of living. You are a daring man, Corellian. I like you.”

And before Han could think of a reply to that, the presence was gone.

He was still entangled in the threads of a dimension he’d never believed could be so real when another presence demanded his attention.

“Captain, this is uncalled for. Why do you try to follow Luke where only he can go?” a familiar voice inquired.

Han turned towards it. “The crazy old wizard?”

“You still remember me,” Ben Kenobi said. “Good. My friend, I wonder why Luke doesn’t call me? He could certainly use my advice.”

 _Like hell he could_ , Han projected. “He’s kinda mad at you for trying to get him to kill his father. Do you know what that would’ve done to him? To learn too late that he’d killed his own dad? He’s not the kind who’d survive that.” Han found that he could throw his thoughts at the shimmering presence much like a verbal attack.

“Nonsense,” Kenobi returned stiffly, and Han figured that arguing about the past would hardly solve their current problems.

“Any advice for getting rid of Palpatine?”

“Consider his presence a blessing,” Kenobi suggested. “His constant attacks will keep Luke on his guard.”

“What, you want us to consider the Emperor some kind of Jedi exercise bike? Let Luke ride it every day to strengthen his muscles?” It was hard to battle with thoughts when his fists clenched with the intense desire to punch Kenobi in the nose. Han sighed. _He’s a ghost, that’d just go through him_.

“Can Luke have a life,” he asked Kenobi, “long quiet days, a home, friends and peace, a good fire in winter, and a warm bed that he shares with me? Or is he supposed to be a hero twenty-four hours a day?”

“Yes, he is!” the old man sent. “He is the last of the Jedi.”

“Oh, great. And as the last one, he’s supposed to do the work of a whole enclave all by himself?”

“Until he builds a new Jedi order.”

“I wonder if the galaxy needs that,” Han growled. “Matter of fact, I wonder if the galaxy needs Force users at all. This kind of power’s been used and abused for centuries. Left and right, light and dark. Maybe it’s time to leave it alone.”

“Never,” Kenobi protested. “If there are no Jedi, who would stop a Darksider from taking over?”

“I don’t have the faintest idea,” Han seethed, “but I get the impression that the Force is about as necessary for any being as a tail. Nice enough to have, but nothing happens if you gotta live without one.”

“Stay out of this, Captain,” Kenobi warned him. “This is not your world. Leave it to those who know what they’re talking about. As I said, don’t try to follow Luke where you cannot go.”

“I’ve already done that,” Han sent. “And you know what, I think it was necessary. I understand him much better now.”

“He doesn’t require your understanding.”

“Yes, he does.” Han shook his head. “Why don’t you go and shimmer with Palpatine? You’re both obsessed with Luke, you both want to own him, rule him, posess him. I’m not gonna let that happen.”

“It doesn’t depend on your permission, Captain.”

“That remains to be seen,” Han answered, thinking, _I can do this as well as they can, this isn’t much different from a tavern brawl. That most arrogant son of a hwimat stands a good chance of winning by sheer intimidation. They know I don’t have any powers – so what? Their power’s gone once they’re dead. All they can do is talk about it and touch a Force user with what remains, but they can’t even levitate a rock to hit anyone with_.

“Leave Skywalker alone,” Kenobi insisted. “He is the only hope for the future.”

“I won’t let you destroy him!” Han roared. “You’re dead, and you’ve got no business with the future. You had your life, now let Luke have his own.”

“But his life is not his own,” Kenobi objected. “He has a gift. He can’t just throw it away!”

Han was shaking with anger. “Fat lot he’ll do for the galaxy if he drops dead!”

“What he needs is control, and self-discipline,” Kenobi’s spirit said. “Something you aren’t able to teach him!”

“And you were Vader’s teacher. Are you going to teach Luke as well as you taught his dad?”

The ghostly apparition didn’t budge. “Yoda instructed Luke, and he knows what he has to do. He understands exactly what is expected of him.”

Suddenly Han felt himself shiver, the Force falling away from him. And he was left in the world he used to know. Kenobi was still there, a faintly glowing form, but Han didn’t feel the connection as strongly as before.

“See?” Kenobi smiled. “These short minutes you had are over. You are no Jedi and never will be. Skywalker is not yours to keep.”

“We’ll see about that, Jedi Master!” Han managed to groan.

The fever Chewie had predicted was setting in with abrupt violence, and he was burning up. The world went dark. 

 

Kenobi’s spirit had vanished by the time Han pried his eyes open. He was stretched out on his bunk, and Chewie stood over him, washing him with an ice-cold towel.

“Are you tryin’ to kill me?” Han protested.

*This is the only way to bring down your fever. The shaman told me that medication won’t work. Was it worth it?*

“Yeah,” Han said through chattering teeth. “I had a chat with Vader and Kenobi.”

*What have you learned?*

“That they don’t know anything more than you or me or Luke does.” Han tried to smile and almost managed it. Chewie left the cold towel on Han’s forehead.

*Do you want to go to Endor now?* the Wookiee asked when he returned with a pitcher of water. *You should drink a lot, Hankho.*

“Give me the water, then we gotta take care of some business.” Han drank half the pitcher at once. “Your shamans get this fever too?”

*No, only humans do, the fungi aren’t good for your system. Cooked, we use them as food. They don’t develop this effect unless they’re fermented for longer than two years.*

“Anybody ever die from it?” Han asked. He thought he was about to burst into flames.

*Not that we know of,* Chewie reassured him and set to work with the cold towel again.

Over the next five hours, Han continued to shake with fever. When he could finally form a clear thought again, he discovered that Chewbacca was still sitting by his bunk.

“Now, I need to buy the right kind of asteroid. We gotta spend a lot of money,” Han told him. “All for a good cause. Is there anything you’ve always wanted, but could never afford?”

*Yes.* Chewie grinned. *The two-dozen set of ceremonial Denga drums, with the bone drumsticks.*

“How much is it?”

*Five thousand credits.*

“Not expensive enough. Think you can find a more lavish version? It’s got to be something that’d make you genuinely happy to have. The damned ghost needs to sense your delight, then he’ll believe we’re hanging around Luke only for the money.”

Chewbacca stared at him. *How much do you want me to spend?*

“At least fifty thousand.”

*Then I’m going to buy a set for each cub in my family.*

Han slanted him an amused look. “Just how many kids d’you have by now?”

*Ten. That covers it.*

“All right.” Han reached into the locker under his bunk. “Here’s the creditcube, go buy the drums, and I’ll check the market for asteroids.”

By the time the sun went down, Han was the proud owner of a suitable asteroid, at a distance of barely four days from Kashyyyk. At a price of eight million credits, it was a bargain. Equipped with an envirodome, it wasn’t too large and wouldn’t support more than five hundred beings. More than enough, as it was only for the two of them. Han also purchased new and very expensive equipment for the Falcon, and with that managed to blow all the ten million Luke had left him.

 _Good_ , he thought, _Palpatine will know I’m a big spender_. He grinned, remembering Luke’s promise when the kid had talked him into rescuing Leia; the reward was going to be more than he could imagine. Now he certainly had a lot more money than he’d ever imagined. Han’s grin widened at the irony of it. Now that he finally had all that money, he wasn’t interested anymore. All he wanted was Luke.

Chewbacca returned to the Falcon with a packed loadlifter, carrying ten sets of ceremonial drums.

“Show me how you play those,” Han suggested.

When Chewie unpacked one set, Han was surprised to see that inside the large packages, the drums were very small, just enveloped in enormous amounts of wrappers. Chewbacca put the drums on the floor and settled down crosslegged in front of them. He started to play.

“They’re not drums,” Han said. “They’re more like bells.”

*That’s how they sound,* Chewie agreed. *But just listen, they are very special, they adjust in four different ways. They can sound like bells, depending on how you tilt them.* For a while, he fussed with the little drums, producing the chimes of bells, then sounds like water running over rocks, then the tapping of a gentle rain. Han listened for a while, then fell asleep, fully relaxed.

Chewie smiled at that. _Hankho_ , he thought, _will never be a true connoisseur of fine music, but is there a bigger compliment than to see him relax by the sounds I played?_

* * *

A few days later, they arrived on Endor at night. As Han left the Falcon, he felt the all too familiar chilling touch of Palpatine.

“Are you happy now, Corellian?” his voice asked.

“Sure,” Han answered. “Finally got my ship upgraded and outfitted the way I always wanted it. Never thought I could blow ten million credits in a single day. And I bought an asteroid to live on with Luke.”

“He should live on Coruscant and rule the galaxy.”

“Not if I can help it. Neither of us’d feel comfortable with that kind of life. And I want him where I’m the only one he sees.” Han smiled.

“You want to control him that badly?”

“If I can. I wonder why everybody wants to control him? You, me, Vader, Kenobi and who knows who else.”

“Why?” Palpatine asked scornfully. “Because he is the only one. Life is a game for high stakes, and Luke is the only prize now.”

“Then I guess I’m lucky. I have him now. And I intend to keep him forever.” Han meant every word of it.

“Only as long as you serve my purposes,” the ghost whispered, dispersing into the night.

Han was glad to see him go.

Having sensed his arrival, Luke appeared in minutes. Han smiled, relieved to see how much livelier and stronger the kid looked. He swept Luke into an embrace that lasted much longer than he’d planned.

“You look a whole lot better now,” he said eventually.

“Do I have an asteroid?” Luke wanted to know.

“Yeah. Want me to take you there?”

“Right away.” Luke was excited like a kid on Springfest day, just before the bell announced the arrival of the Springfest nerf with the presents.

“Did His Ghostness bother you while I was away?” Han asked, worried.

“Only once, but not for long. Han, is something wrong? You’re different somehow.” Luke examined him as if he’d never seen him before. “There’s something changed in you.”

“Well, if you gotta know everything, I tried one of the Wookan methods to feel the Force, and it worked.”

“What?” Luke’s eyes widened at that.

“I felt the Force for about an hour, not longer.” Han shrugged. “Now I know what it’s like. And believe me, it’s not pleasant.”

“For me, it is. What did you feel?”

“Too much. I had a chat with your father and Kenobi.”

“Ben? He came to you?” Luke was absolutely amazed.

“He did, but it’s not like we became fast friends.”

“You gave him a dressing down,” Luke guessed.

“That I did.” Han smiled, burying his fingers in the soft blond hair.

“You’re incorrigible.”

“That I am. Why, you think I need to be corriged?”

Luke laughed. He thought that the only person who could always make him laugh was Han, Han with his jokes and the crooked smiles he offered.

“Chewie’s got enough to keep him busy for a few days here, so if you’re done with Leia, we can go and look at that asteroid we own.” Han nudged him. “I’ll tell you about my short trip into the Force on the way. In all its gory details.”

Later on, when Han had finished, Luke asked, “And Ben really said I’m not yours to keep? Shouldn’t that be my decision?”

“Just like his ghostly Highness said,” Han returned with irony, “this is the only game in the galaxy worth playing, and Skywalker’s the only prize.”

“When did he tell you that?”

“A couple of minutes after I’d landed on Endor.” Han shook his head, disturbed again by the memory of Palpatine’s presence. “Kid, this is some weird thing... These guys are out there to play their own game, and I think you’ve got nothing to do with it.” He was starting to bristle at the thought.

“I do.” Luke said with grim determination. “I have a power, and I can’t just pretend that I don’t.”

“But the hell with it!” Han nearly shouted. “They don’t think of you as someone with any power at all. They’re just kicking you around like a ball in a game!”

“And that’s exactly how I feel,” Luke answered pensively.

Han took a calming breath. “How can you expect them to treat you any different if you don’t walk around advertising your power?”

“I don’t think I’ll ever do that. It wouldn’t be me.”

It took only Luke’s sober statement to make Han’s argument run out of steam. “I know. Then that’s what you should advertise. Just claim your place in the universe and stand there firmly.”

Luke slanted him a curious glance. “Is there a story behind this?”

“Matter of fact, there is...” Han leaned back in the flight chair, recalling the details of a popular Corellian tale. “Once there was a cobbler who had an apprentice,” he started. “He taught him well enough, but never wanted the kid to become a true rival. So when it was time to let him go and become a master in his own right, the cobbler told his apprentice to go on a long trip and make a name for himself in all the different villages. And the boy did just that, hiking from place to place... Years passed, and no one ever called him a master cobbler. Then he managed to travel all the way around the planet and ended up in the same village where he’d sold his first pair of shoes. People were still wearing the shoes he’d made and talking about him as if he was the best cobbler in the universe. He’d become so famous that the cobblers’ guild had had a statue made of him. Everybody knew that, except the guy himself, ‘cause he was always wandering around unhappily, searching for the one place where they’d respect him.” Han smiled as he approached the end of his story. “’Course, nobody told him how great he was, ‘cause they all asssumed he knew anyway. But this is how he learned that if you don’t respect yourself, no matter if the whole world respects you, you’ll be forever miserable.”

“Did you just make this up?” Luke asked suspiciously.

“No,” Han protested, “you can look it up in any library. It’s the second tale in the standard collection of Corellian folk stories.”

“All right, I’ll check.” Luke rose from his seat in the cockpit. “But if I don’t find it, you’re in for something...”

“Go right ahead,” Han invited with a shrug.

When Luke checked the computer’s directory for the library banks, he found the story at once. _I should read folktales more often_ , he thought. _There’s a lot of wisdom in them_.

Han interrupted him with an invitation to have dinner at the holochess table.

“How long before we get there?” Luke asked between two mouthfuls of food.

“Two more days in hyper. Two whole days of no responsibility, no worries, just some good loving.” Han smiled.

Luke’s eyes where drawn to the place where Han’s open-necked shirt exposed his chest. On impulse, he reached out and touched Han very lightly.

The response was immediate. Han pulled him closer and kissed him.

“I shouldn’t do this!” Han said regretfully, letting him go. “You’d better eat first, then I’ll take you to bed. You’re still too skinny.”

Luke felt a warm glow settle at the pit of his stomach. “You bet I’ll eat everything there is, if that’s my reward...”

He set out to clean his plate and made a good job of it in minutes.

* * *

The two days’ journey went by fast. They spent most of the time making love, eating, and lazing around. As he felt himself relax and grow peaceful, Luke began to wonder at how tense he’d truly been, and for how long, if spending two days shipboard with Han could feel like pure paradise.

“Come here, kid!” Han called to him from the cockpit, where the navicomputer was bleeping busily. The sublight drive had only just engaged, and they were approaching a wide asteroid belt. “Look, there’s our asteroid right there. The small one on the left.”

“There’s a whole bunch of them,” Luke said, leaning towards the viewport.

“Yeah, but only two more actually have owners. The others are still for sale, most of them don’t support atmosphere. Ours doesn’t have any natural atmosphere either, only inside the dome.”

“How big is it?”

“Supports five hundred inhabitants.”

Luke settled into the co-pilot’s seat with a shake of the head. “Where would we find five hundred beings to populate the place?”

“Hey, who said we need to fill up the whole dome?” Han slowed the Falcon for the landing approach. “But if you want, you could invite a couple of Ewoks and roast your left leg for them.” He chuckled.

“You know, I almost forgot they were planning to eat us at first.” _Strange_ , Luke mused. _How easy it is to forget that kind of thing, once we made friends with them. We seldom make friends with beings we consider food_.

“I sure won’t forget that,” Han grumbled. “Never liked the little monsters much.”

“They saved us,” Luke reminded him.

“No, they didn’t,” Han said tersely. “You did. Now hang on, we’re landing.”

 

The asteroid provided no more than three landing bays, each of them connected to the envirodome by a narrow corridor. It surprised Han to find everything clean and in good working order. At the entrance of each bay, four or five landspeeders waited for arrivals.

“I’d expected the whole thing to be kinda run-down,” he said.

Luke took a long look around as they stepped out of the corridor. “It’s much larger than I thought it’d be.”

The dome measured about six kilometers in diameter, and reached up to a height of five hundred meters at its apex. A tour of the grounds didn’t take long by landspeeder, and there wasn’t much to see either. All around a central plaza, a group of small, sand-colored buildings stood, but the rest of the dome remained uncultivated. At the perimeter of the settlement, some half-dead trees and dry grass grew from a half-mile strip of natural earth.

“Where are the environment controls?” Luke asked when they’d returned to the plaza. “This place badly needs some rain.”

Artoo chirped merrily, rolling toward one of the larger structures. Inside a fairly large control room, several computers were blinking idly. Han immediately set out to reconfigure the weather patterns.

“Okay, you said a downpour once a week... and some light drizzle a bit more often?”

“Yes.” Luke watched him work the controls. “And I’d like the first downpour now.”

Han buried himself in the task, occasionally accepting help from the little droid who was gladly making the acquaintance of the dome’s computers.

A crack of thunder sounded. When Luke went outside, rain started to come down in sheets and soaked him to the bone within moments. Han went after him and from the doorstep watched the kid raise his face into the rain, enjoying the water that ran down his body.

Han took off his boots and his gunbelt and left them inside the building. _No need to ruin my boots_ , he thought wryly. All he wanted was to strip Luke naked and make love to him in the rain. He could feel every muscle and bone through the soaked fabric when he wrapped both arms around Luke’s slender waist.

“There’s nobody here to see us,” he said, already busy taking the wet garments off Luke. He thought he’d never seen anything more beautiful than the rivulets of rain running down Luke’s skin.

“I claim this place as my home,” Han added softly.

Luke guessed that the words were part of a Corellian ritual. He felt lost and rootless, not having any culture to reach out to at a time like this.

“Why did you say you’re claiming the place?” he asked, tilting his head to meet Han’s eyes. “Is this some custom I should know about?”

“It’s a spacer’s saying, when you leave your ship for something that’s stationary.” Han traced his wet chin with his thumb.

“I don’t have anything like that. I don’t have a culture. I don’t have a past.”

“That’s okay.” Han took him in his arms again. “Then let’s have the present and the future. You look gorgeous when you’re wet...” He took off his own clothes, throwing them inside together with Luke’s stuff.

Luke forgot about the feeling of not belonging anywhere when Han embraced him, their wet bodies pressing together. They loved in the downpour, laughing at the rain beating down on them.

* * *

That night, they slept in the building they’d selected to serve as their home, a long one-story structure. Its single, huge room was equipped with a sleeping alcove, kitchen appliances in one corner, holo and computer console in another, and had a sani attached to it. Han liked the thought of always being able to see each other in here, no walls and separate rooms to provide the privacy he knew they wouldn’t need.

Luke woke with the first light of the artificial sun. Letting Han sleep, he stood at the back door and looked at the trees and the grass, soaking up the rain they’d created. He hoped everything would turn green soon, allowing him to sense the Force in the thirsty trees. He felt that at the same time he was soaking in something he badly needed. There was power in the blades of grass, living power, and a strong feeling of belonging awakened in him.

 _I’m no different from the grass and the trees_ , he thought. _All is one, and one is all. There’s no individuality, I’m a part of all this, I’m life_.

“Skywalker, you are no blade of grass.” The cold presence of Palpatine enveloped him without warning. “Your desperate attempts to break away from me won’t succeed.”

“But I’m not trying to break free,” Luke said. “I don’t have to. I’m not yours, never have been, and never will be. You managed to control me for a while, but not anymore.”

“Look at yourself,” Palpatine scoffed. “Soiled with the traces of your animal acts, you are nothing but a greedy Corellian pirate’s whore.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Han and I—” Luke stopped in mid-sentence when understanding struck him. _He really doesn’t know_.

 _This pitiful creature_ , Luke thought, _really doesn’t know how normal people live. He believes what he says. He’s lost, Palpatine is a sad soul, lost forever in his hatred, his hunger for power. Evil is a lonely road_.

“You are lost, Your Majesty,” he said without hesitation. “Life is an eternal riddle for you that you’ve never solved. You never had anyone you could keep with you. You’ve wasted your life and died with your hands empty. They still are.”

“I have power,” the Emperor snarled.

“Power over what? There’s nothing left. You never had power, all you had was an illusion of it. There is no power in the universe, there’s only life.” Luke could feel it in every part of himself, its limitless energy. “Life that we can live,” he continued, “or we can waste its blessings. You can destroy, or build, but you’re still part of the living Force. You, Your Majesty, can linger in this spirit form for centuries, a pale ghost, forever hoping to regain something that never existed in the first place. Nothing is real that we can’t touch. Glory, power – all of it exists only in our imagination.”

“That is all you want? To eat and fornicate?”

“No, that’s not all. I will help where I can, teach what I’ve learned. And in the meantime, yes, make love as often as I can. Enjoy my meals, watch the grass grow. Look at the stars. And slowly grow old, old enough to die. But I won’t linger on. I’ll let myself go into the Force when the time is right.”

“And I suppose you want to be a tree in your next incarnation?” Palpatine’s voice asked with dripping sarcasm.

“Suits me fine.” Luke smiled.

“I shall still have you,” the Emperor claimed furiously.

“Try,” Luke answered. “Come inside my head. Read me, get to know me.” He opened himself wide, allowing the ghostly presence full access to his soul. The cold touch was hard to endure at first, but he no longer feared it. Palpatine’s spirit flowed inside him, dark tendrils curled around every memory, every thought. Luke let the shriveled dark forms be filled with light. He didn’t know how long it lasted; it could have been a second or a whole year. Then he heard someone crying.

“You were right, Skywalker,” an oddly changed voice whispered to him. “I wasted my life. I lost my Vader, I could have had him, but I’ve lost him forever, and now it is too late for regrets. I shall find him again in another life. If you meet him, tell him I’ll be searching for him.”

Abruptly, the presence withdrew from his senses. Luke opened his eyes to see Han’s haggard face over him.

“Kid, what the fuck happened? You were in a coma for three days.”

“Three whole days?” Luke realized he’d been taken to a med-room and hooked up to life support. Two blue droids hovered beside him.

“What happened?” Han asked again, his fingers closing hard around Luke’s hand. “The droids say there’s nothing wrong with you.”

“That’s true,” Luke assured him. “I think I managed to deal with his ghostly Majesty once and for all.”

Han exhaled a long breath. “What’ve you done to him?”

“I allowed him to know me. I allowed him inside, I didn’t treat him as an enemy for a moment, but as a lost soul. And that’s what he was – anything evil is lost. I let him see you the way I do, I let him know what love is, and he cried at the end. I think he’d never considered anything else worth knowing, besides power. He needed to learn.”

“You scared the living daylight out of me, you know. You were barely breathing and rigid as a rock...” Han turned to the droids. “You can unhook him now.” His hand closed around Luke’s shoulder, helping him up. “Come on, share a good meal with me. I’m starving.”

“You’ve been sitting here the entire time?”

“Well, yeah,” Han said gruffly.

Luke smiled at him, pleased to see his expression brighten. “At least Palpatine is gone forever. I think he was in love with my father in his own sick way. He wanted to own him, but didn’t know how to get close to anyone. He was one lost soul. I feel sorry for him.”

Han shook his head. “That’s Luke Skywalker for you, feeling sorry for the meanest, rottenest bastard in the entire universe.”

“What else should I feel for him? He had nothing anyone could envy, while I have everything.”

Han laughed. “Yeah, you have a handsome Corellian lover – what else is there worth having?”

“Can’t think of anything.” Luke felt his smile grow wider. “Why don’t you get that meal ready? There’s something I have to do before we eat.”

“And that’s what?” Han’s eyes narrowed.

“I have to let my father go,” Luke said solemnly.

 

A short while later, he was out in the open, reaching for Vader’s presence through the Force to communicate his decision.

“Thank you, my son,” the dark voice responded without preamble.

“Father, there’s something you should know. Palpatine said he’d search for you in his next life.”

“Has he finally learned something then?” Vader asked. “I hope so. Goodbye, my son. Let us try to do better in that next life.” There was a smile in Vader’s deep voice, though Luke couldn’t tell if it meant Vader believed in reincarnation, or that he didn’t. But it didn’t matter. _There’s no past, no future_ , he thought, _only the present_.

And he found himself in the present, in a fleeting moment within the endless ocean of time and space...

When he turned back inside, Han was whistling softly as he moved around the room. The tune was light, and Luke could see a couple of candles lit on the small table. All other lights had been switched off. Still whistling to himself, Han sat down on one of the chairs. Next to the food on the table, he’d placed two glasses of wine. Luke sat down beside him and took a sip from his glass.

“Kiss me,” he said. “I think as cobblers go, I’m ready to hang my shingle. But not now. Now, this is one perfect moment.”

“By the way, the grass is turning green,” Han told him. “And most of the leaves on the trees’ve started budding.”

“I know,” Luke said. “I can feel it.”

They kissed softly, their entwined shadows shimmering on the wall in the candlelight.

* * * * *


End file.
